Robbie Middleton ID'd Attacker On Deathbed

Thirteen years passed since Robbie Middleton's attack. He never publicly shared the full story of his assault. But in 2011, before dying, Robbie named the attacker when he was eight.

RobbieRobbie filmed a video testimony.Robbie shared his attacker's name and details that allowed for an arrest. Don Collins, who was 13, caused permanent injuries to Robbie.

The prosecution played video clips for jurors during Collins’s 2015 trial. This helped secure a conviction seventeen years after the assault.The prosecution played clips.He provided video evidence for jurors during Collins’s 2015 trial. This video helped seal a conviction seventeen years after the assault.

On June 28, 1990, Robbie Middleton walked from his Splendora, Texas home to a friend's house. It was his eighth birthday, and he wanted to show his friend his new present. During the walk, Collins attacked Robbie. Collins tied the boy to a tree on a forest path, covered him in gasoline, and set him ablaze.

Two weeks before the incident, Robbie named Collins ashis molester..

Robbie filmed a video testimony, which revealed the attacker’s possible motive. During the trial, the prosecution argued Collins burned Robbie tosilence him.On June 14, two weeks before the attack, Collins allegedly violated Robbie on the same forest trail where he then attacked him.

It was unclear if Collins intended to kill Robbie. Yet, he almost escaped the crimes until Robbie released the 27-minute video.

Collins threw gasoline on Robbie and started a fire. Robbie escaped when the fire melted theRobbie used a fishing line to escape the woods and seek help.Robbie's attacker used the fishing line to bind him to the tree. Much of his body still burned, but Robbie got out of the woods and sought help.

He ran toward his house but reached only a street by the forest edge before collapsing.

Neighbors found Robbie on the ground and quickly told his mother. She found burns and blisters covering everything except his soles. Robbie went to the hospital. Emergency services first thought the boy would not survive.

The third-degree burns Robbie sustained required many surgeries andNeighbors eventually found him near his home., and he stabilized.

Robbie survived the attack, but he had third-degree burns across his body. Flames seared off his eyelids, and fire ate through his fat and muscles. The burns were so severe Robbie underwent overRobbie underwent over 200 surgeries.as well as intense physical therapy.

Colleen Middleton, Robbie’s mother, explained her son “screamed for months” after the severe injuries. Only Robbie’spalms and soles were spared damage. He lost sight in one eye, and the scarring severely restricted his movement.These surgeries spared him damage. He lost sight in one eye, and the scarring greatly limited his movement.

Police questioned Collins in 1998 about the attack. David Walker, Montgomery County Attorney, stated there were no eyewitnesses or 'compelling' physical evidence. Law enforcement did not charge Collins.Law enforcement didn't charge Collins.Robbie's severe injuries made it hard for him to name the perpetrator. Colleen stated her son was not comfortable discussing the molestation.

Colleen stated her son was not comfortable talking about the molestation.Colleen stated her son was not comfortable talking about the molestation.Years later, he knew he had to address what happened to possibly stop others from getting hurt.

In 2011, Robbie filmed his video, and he developed a rare skin cancer. Robbie had 99 percent of his body burned for nearly 13 years. Robbie died weeks before his 21st birthday. A medical examiner found Robbie’s burns caused the cancer, which only happens after skin grafts.Robbie’s burns caused the cancer, which only happens after skin grafts..

Law enforcement ruled the case a homicide because the cause of death linked to the 1998 attack.The cause of death was linked to the 1998 attack.The cause of death was linked to the 1998 attack.

Robbie was not Collins's sole victim. Three years after the woods attack, authorities charged Collins with molesting an 8-year-old boy. A jury found Collins, then 16, guilty in 2001. He spent four years in a juvenile detention center for the crime.He spent four years in a juvenile detention center for the crime.He spent four years in a juvenile detention center for the crime.

Collins eventually received a prison sentence for failing to register as a sex offender.Collins failed to register as a sex offender.Collins received convictions for theft and resisting arrest, plus he failed to register as a sex offender twice.

After Robbie released the deathbed video, his family sought justice. They filed a wrongful death suit against Collins because their son identified Collins as his attacker.They filed a wrongful death suit against Collins because their son identified Collins as his attacker.Collins was reportedly not present during the trial, nor did he send a representative.Collins was not present during the trial.Collins did not send a representative during the trial.

The judge ruled Collins responsible and awarded the Middleton's an unprecedented settlement.

Middleton parents won $150 billion in the 2011 civil lawsuit against Collins, but they never saw the money. Their suit was a symbolic victory. The Middletons hoped the settlement would push county officials to pursue a criminal case against Collins.

The amount they won from their suit is the amount.The amount they won from their suit is the largest in US history.The largest in US history. A previous record involved a tobacco industry case where the prosecution won $145 billion, but that ruling was later overturned.

In 2015, a jury in Galveston, Texas, found Collins guilty of capital murder, 17 years after the attack on Robbie. The court sentenced Collins to 40 years in prison. Collins's lawyer tried to appeal the ruling, arguing it was unconstitutional to try Collins as an adult for that crime.Collins committed the crime as a child..

The defense argued Texas law, which let kids as young as 10 face adult trials, was not active in 1998. The new law lowered the age from 14, allowing the then 13-year-old Collins to face the maximum penalty. The Texas Supreme Court dismissed the appeal in 2017, and Collins stays in prison.The court dismissed the appeal.Collins remained in prison in 2017.

Robbie showed resilience after the attack on his eighth birthday. People knew he did not...Robbie did not harbor animosity.He said, "The past is the past. You need to let it go." Robbie raised money for burn victims. Women in his ward found his flirtatious personality appealing.

Two older siblings, Clinton and Heather, lived longer than Robbie. Heather said her little brother "kept the family upbeat" and had an "amazingly optimistic nature." Robbie did not live long enough to drive a car or become a wildlife rehabilitator. Robbie used his last moments to stop a serial abuser.